Anasuyamma Ianusuya, President of a loan and savings group in India. Photo: Bannon/CARE

Titled “The Top 10 Myths about Women & the Heroes Who Bust Them,” the report also celebrates inspirational mythbusters — some past, some contemporary — who have worked to dispel notable pieces of female stereotypes. They range from iconic scientist Marie Curie and tennis star Billie Jean King to lesser-known heroines such as Mamata Tinou, whose grain bank helped stave off starvation in Niger, and Goma Acharya, who fights the practice of isolating women in sheds during menstruation and after child birth in western Nepal. The 20 featured mythbusters also include three men who have helped knock down barriers holding back girls and women.

The concise report highlights research and statistics that deflate each myth. “Millions of women still remain under the spell of these myths. It is time to bust them and to release half of our society from oppression”, said Robert Glasser, CARE International General Secretary. “On International Women’s Day, we should all raise our voices to make a difference for women worldwide.”

Rather than let myths undermine her future, Peninah Nthenya Musyimi used them as motivation growing up amid prostitution, violence against women and low expectations in the Mathare slums of Nairobi. She walked nine miles to school, rose to the top of her class and, just when college seemed out of reached, taught herself basketball in one month and earned a scholarship. Today she’s an attorney and founder of Safe Spaces, a girls’ sports and leadership organization that partners with CARE in some of Nairobi’s poorest neighborhoods. CARE’s International Women’s Day report makes official what everyone around Nthenya already knows: she’s a mythbuster.

"I've seen firsthand how devastating myths about girls and women can be,” said Nthenya. “But I know these views don't have to last forever. My dad never believed I could be successful as a woman until I graduated, got a job and became independent. It was a big surprise and his perception towards women changed. He is now a very strong supporter of girls’ education."

You can download the report here.

Media Contacts: Melanie Brooks, Communications Coordinator, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , phone: +41.22.795.1024, mobile +41.795.903.047

About CARE: Founded in 1945, CARE is one of the world's largest humanitarian aid agencies. Working side by side with poor communities in 70 countries, CARE helps empower people to address the greatest threats to their survival. Women are at the heart of CARE's efforts to improve health, education and economic development because experience shows that a woman's achievements yield dramatic benefits for her entire family. CARE is also committed to providing lifesaving assistance during times of crisis, and helping rebuild safer, stronger communities afterward.